Deadline; 10 September 2024

I .About The Fellowship
The Accelerating African Women’s Leadership in Climate Action Fellowship seeks to achieve a twin goal of increasing the number of African women leading climate change action and catalyze production of climate solutions that work for women smallholders.

Through this Fellowship, AWARD aims to contribute to equitable rural livelihoods by increasing the number of women leaders in climate change producing innovations that address the diverse needs of smallholders in the African agrifood systems.

The Fellowship will foster production and transfer of context-specific knowledge on climate adaptation technologies to different stakeholders including smallholders, extension workers and policymakers.

II. Objectives

• Strengthen the leadership, mentoring and negotiation skills of African women climate change professionals.
• Enhance the capabilities of African women and men climate change professionals to incorporate gender in their research and practice.
• Amplify the voices and increase visibility of African women climate change professionals in global and regional climate change dialogues.

III. Selection process

• This fellowship targets high-potential women climate professionals who will be competitively selected to participate as Climate Fellows. Upon their admission into the Fellowship, the Climate Fellows will be paired with seasoned experts working at the nexus between gender, climate change, and agrifood systems and the Climate Fellows will later select early career climate researchers.
• The potential Climate Fellows will be competitively identified through a rigorous process that will include responding to an open call, followed by a review and final selection by a panel of experts. The review will focus on applicants’ experience, expertise, knowledge gaps, and contributions to climate adaptation.

IV. Fellowship Package

The Fellowship is a blended (virtual and face-to-face interventions), non-residential program that will be delivered over a period of two years and will include the following activities:

• Virtual and in-person training events including training in leadership, negotiation and intergenerational mentoring. They will also attend a course on how to integrate gender in climate change interventions.
• Group and individual coaching
• Mentoring program
• Regular peer-to-peer learning sessions
• Participate in regular masterclasses
• Conceptualize and lead collaborative climate projects on gender and climate adaptation known as Climate Research and Innovation Projects (CRIPs).
• Exposure on emerging trends in gender, climate change and agrifood systems
• Speaking opportunities to give seminars and other events
• In-country role modeling events

Participants who complete all the Fellowship activities will receive a certificate of Completion. The Climate Fellows will also join an elite network of experts and food systems champions including AWARD country chapters.

V. Eligibility

The Accelerating African Women’s Leadership in Climate Action Fellowship is open to applicants who meet the criteria below:

• African women from Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Senegal.
• African women working various disciplines across gender and climate change.
• Have at least a master’s degree in a relevant discipline in agrifood systems.
• Have at least five years working experience, demonstrated interest and contribution in gender and climate change.
• African women at different stages of their professional careers who are actively engaged in finding solutions to the effects of climate change.
• Participants working in national and international organizations including government agencies and non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
• Applicants must reside in an African country throughout the Fellowship period to be eligible

VI. Pre-conditions for Participation

Notification on the Fellowship offer to the successful applicant does not guarantee participation in the Fellowship. Participation will be guaranteed upon the applicant’s:

• Provision of details of the institution’s head or responsible supervisor that shall endorse their participation in the Fellowship activities
• Submission of the required documentation (copies of passport and academic certificates) to support information provided in the application form
• Acceptance of the AWARD’s code of conduct
• Timely, official communication to AWARD on their participation in any other capacity building programs

VII. How To Apply?

• To apply, please, click HERE
• Any queries? Please,  send an email to [email protected]

VIII. Key Dates to note

• Call for Applications open- July 10, 2024
• Call for Applications close- September 10, 2024
• Selected Participants notified- November 2024
• Inaugural Cohort begins- November 2024

IX. Fellowship Structure and Implementation

Informed by the innovative AWARD Fellowship model, the Fellowship is designed as a blended (virtual and face-to-face interventions), non-residential career accelerator underpinned by transformative learning experiences. Delivered over a period of two years, activities will include:

A Mentoring Journey

The mentoring journey is a two-step experience that will provide the Climate Fellows with a space to explore their leadership and career options while building a diverse intergenerational network of capable, confident women leading and influencing equitable climate solutions.

The first step involves the participation of Climate Fellows and Mentors. Upon their selection, the Climate Fellows will be carefully matched to mentors who can guide them in their career objectives. The pairs will commence a year-long structured mentoring session that will include the use of customized tools to reflect, project, and plan their careers.

After the year-long Climate Fellow-Mentor session, the second step kicks in, where each Climate Fellow will nominate one emerging climate researcher known as a mentee, a young woman working on climate adaptation, to whom they will serve as a mentor. This step is designed to support the Climate Fellows to cascade their learnings to emerging climate researchers.

Personalized Training

The participants will receive specially designed training to enhance their skills in leadership, management, and negotiations, as well as integrating gender in climate research.

The training will equip participants with skills to enable them to navigate the challenges women face in getting into leadership, equipping them with tools to influence change and foster collaborative networks and techniques to develop gender- responsive climate adaptation innovations.

The training will include face-to-face and virtual sessions delivered by global experts over a period of two years and will be augmented with special coaching support, masterclasses, and peer learning sessions.

Climate Research and Innovation Projects (CRIPs)

The Climate Fellows will be supported to conceptualize and lead collaborative climate projects on gender and climate adaptation known as Climate Research and Innovation Projects (CRIPs).

Cross-country collaborations will be emphasized to foster cross learning and intracontinental networking. This activity will foster peer learning and practical application of technical skills gained from previous packages.

The unique CRIPs will be the flagship outputs of the Fellowship and will include varied topics like research to understand the adaptive capacity of women smallholders; uptake of climate innovations; tracking implementation of gender commitments in national policies, amongst others.

Knowledge Brokering and Visibility

Designed to amplify the voices while enhancing the presence and influence of the Climate Fellows, the activities here will include support to position themselves as thought leaders in gender and climate action.

Fellows will be supported to participate in global and regional climate change dialogues, document, translate, and disseminate their work in different ways including the production of evidence-based knowledge products.

The Climate Fellows will also be supported to enhance their ability to engage and inspire various stakeholders equipping them with skills and tools to conceptualize, write, and tell personal narratives.